Nelson Agholor came up big for Eagles on 3rd and 4th downs last year

Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor changed the trajectory of his NFL career last season.

The former first-round pick developed into a reliable and dangerous weapon out of the slot. According to Pro Football Focus, Agholor was one of the best receivers on third and fourth downs in the league last year.

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PFF looked at the passer ratings of receivers on those downs. To be included, receivers had to be targeted more than 20 times on third and fourth downs. Green Bay’s Davante Adams came in first (136.8), Pittsburgh’s JuJu Smith-Schuster was second (133.5) and Agholor third (132.6).

Agholor didn’t drop a single pass on third or fourth down last season. That’s an incredible improvement for a wideout who had major problems catching the ball in his first two years in the NFL. Mental issues had hampered Agholor, but in 2017 he overcame them and made big plays in clutch situations.

Per PFF, Agholor was especially dominant on third and fourth downs of 10 yards or more. He caught 10 of 12 targets on those two downs for 263 yards and three touchdowns. All of those numbers are the best in 2017 among qualifying receivers.

The Eagles were eighth best in the league on third down and third best on fourth down last year. That certainly has to do with excellent play-calling and Carson Wentz’s ability to extend plays, but Agholor deserves a lot of credit for the Eagles’ ability to move the chains as well.

It was clear from Week 1 that Agholor was a different player than he had been in prior seasons.

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Agholor ended his third NFL season with 62 receptions for 768 (12.4 yards per reception) and eight touchdowns. All of those are career highs.

It’s tough to determine which pass-catcher is most important to the Eagles offense considering how well they spread the ball around. But Agholor is in the conversation after his 2017 campaign.

Trading Jordan Matthews to open up the slot for a disappointing first-round pick in Agholor was a confusing move to some, but it paid dividends for the Eagles. Agholor flourished in that role and became a nightmare for defenders last year — particularly in late-down situations.

Precise route running coupled with elite quickness made Agholor tough to defend in man coverage last year. Those skills mean his future is bright.

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